CPO 1 News June 2021
CPO 1 June meeting
Tuesday, June 8, 7-9 pm via zoom
As usual, we’ll start with an open mic and community briefings by service providers as they are available: Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO); Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD); Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R); and Beaverton School District (BSD). The public is welcome to share information about what’s happening in the area.
7:30 pm: Clean Water Services
Karen DeBaker & Shannon Huggins, Public Affairs with Clean Water Services (CWS), will join our meeting to describe the significant environmental enhancements in the Tualatin Hills Nature Park to be made while they replace a 40-year-old sewer pipe. This Cedar Mill Creek Sanitary and Regional Stormwater Project began in January 2021 with tree felling and will start construction in mid-June. This two-year project will affect access and use of the trails in the nature park. You can find more information about this project on their website.
They will also share an overview of their organization, including water resource recovery—converting waste to clean water to maintain Tualatin River health, and recover phosphorus (a valuable fertilizer) as a commercial bi-product in the process—as well as information about their budget and other functions
8 pm: Enhanced Sheriff’s Patrol District Advisory Committee Update
Law enforcement for Washington County’s Urban Unincorporated Area is provided by the Washington County Sheriff’s Department. The Enhanced Sheriff’s Patrol District (ESPD) allows provision of this service at urban levels rather than the traditionally lower rural level (1 deputy per 1000 residents rather than .5 deputy) and is funded by a five-year serial levy which will be up for renewal in 2022.
The ESPD Advisory Committee (ESPDAC) advises the Sheriff on items of urban concern. Bruce Bartlett, CPO 1 Vice Chair and this year’s Chair of the ESPDAC, will present the variety of subjects the committee addresses.
8:30 pm: United States Postal Service Reform Act
Since 2006, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has been burdened with a unique requirement to pre-fund its retirement program. The proposed Postal Service Reform Act would address this and other serious problems afflicting the USPS which have been created by Movement Conservative efforts to privatize the USPS. Bruce Bartlett will share the features of the bill and provide information on how you can submit testimony on it. (See the article about the PO in this issue.)
If you can’t attend the meeting on the 8th, it will be on our Facebook page to view any time.
CPO 1 May Meeting summary
By Vicky Siah, CPO 1 Secretary
Virginia Bruce opened with an update on the Cedar Mill Cider Festival, which is planning to resume on September 19 at the JQA Young House, after being canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. This year Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation Department, which sponsors the event, is allowing a hard cider vendor, and we have begun to work with Reverend Nat.
Brian Yourstone from THPRD followed this with an update on the Beaverton Creek Trail that will connect the Westside Trail at THPRD Nature Park to the Cedar Hills Crossing area. A timeline for this project can be found on the THPRD website.
THPRD is offering more summer camps in this summer, and these camps have received a grant from the YMCA, enabling them to provide scholarships to 160 youth. In order to support their summer camps, THPRD is looking to hire part time and seasonal employees.
Corinne Haning, Public Affairs representative for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, discussed mail theft issues. Any suspicious activity regarding theft can be reported to the Sheriff’s Office through the non-emergency number, 503-629-0111.
Beaverton School District’s representative, Kara Yunck, informed CPO 1 that four school board seats are up for election. These positions will be voted on at-large.
As Senator Elizabeth Steiner-Hayward was late to the CPO 1 meeting, Peter Leonard from the Cedar Mill Community Library began his presentation. Since March, there have been considerable changes in the library’s operations. The library is now offering browsing inside Cedar Mill and Bethany locations—they hope to allow in-person programs in the future.
Senator Steiner-Hayward arrived during Leonard’s presentation and introduced her policies. Steiner-Hayward supports equity investment to overcome decades of systemic racism, investment in child welfare and education, and public health authority. She wants to continue the work of Mitch Greenlick to make healthcare a right in the Oregon Constitution, and aims for this to reach the ballot in the 2022 election cycle. “Data shows that having healthcare as a right in the Constitution—without actually having to do anything about it—has benefits,” said Senator Steiner-Hayward, before fielding questions from attending members. Senator Steiner-Hayward is holding a Town Hall on Tuesday, May 25 at 5:30 PM. Her full presentation can be viewed on the CPO 1 Facebook page.
After Senator Steiner-Hayward concluded, Leonard resumed speaking on the Cedar Mill Library. He encourages patrons to stop the spread of COVID-19 through hand-washing, and the library will require masks for inside browsing. The library has eliminated fines for late books; however, they have not noticed a significant difference in the frequency of late returns.
To conclude the meeting, Fran Warren updated CPO 1 on her conversation with Commissioner Treece, and Bruce Bartlett discussed how Washington County is responding to domestic terrorism.
